Track Description

The Studio Art and the Computer track of the MFA in Emerging Media, provides students an opportunity to inform and enhance their artistic practice using 21st Century electronic media.

This emphasis on electronic media is pliable enough to encompass the many ways in which technology intersects with contemporary art and design.

Students in the program are invited to combine their backgrounds in traditional art or computer-related disciplines within a conceptually driven, interdisciplinary environment. Courses provide exposure to time-based media, performance art, video art, sound works, kinetic sculpture, computer-based art, and art using the Internet in order to understand how these forms are driving 21st century artistic practice and informing our understanding of contemporary cultural identities.

Curriculum

The Studio Art and the Computer MFA track is composed of a minimum of 66 credit hours, to be acquired in three years (six full-time semesters excluding summers). Degree credit is obtained in theory courses, studio art courses, electives, and supervised research. All courses must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. The thesis consists of a body of artistic work accompanied by electronic (Internet) documentation and a culminating exhibition.

Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 or better GPA in all course work to complete the program. Continuation in the MFA program requires a positive annual evaluation by the Program Director of the School of Visual Arts and Design and by the Graduate Committee of the School of Visual Arts and Design.

Elective Courses: 9 Credit Hours

Students should choose from graduate level courses within the School of Visual Arts & Design that are not already required for their program. These courses included those with the following prefixes: ARH, ART, DIG and FIL. If approved by the Graduate Program Director, there are many graduate-level courses in the College of Arts and Humanities that can be used as electives in addition to other graduate courses. These courses must be selected so as to ensure that at least one-half of the courses in the student’s plan of study are taken at the 6000 level. Normally, at least half of the selected electives should be taken within the School of Visual Arts and Design.

A listing of courses offered can be found in the drop-down Catalog Menu at the top of the page under “Courses.”

Electives 9 Credit Hours

Thesis: 6 Credit Hours

The thesis consists of a body of artistic work accompanied by electronic (Internet) documentation and a culminating exhibition.

The final oral review before the supervisory thesis committee occurs at the end of the sixth semester. At the same time, the graduate student presents a thesis exhibition of selected works from the cumulative body of works produced during his/her three years of residency. In addition, the thesis requires an artist’s statement and documentation. The thesis will contain research intentions, results, and the body of the creative works produced. Students are required to submit an electronic version of the thesis to the UCF College of Graduate Studies. After approval by the UCF College of Graduate Studies, the UCF Library will add it to its archives and make the electronic version of the thesis accessible on the web. The required thesis is the independent learning experience in the degree program.

ART 6971 - Thesis 6 Credit Hours

Course Schedule

The Emerging Media MFA is a full-time 3-year cohort program that requires students to abide by the following course sequence. Students must remain with their cohort in order to remain in good academic standing and graduate.

Spring: 10 Credit Hours

Equipment Fee

Students in the Emerging Media MFA program pay a $90 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled.

Independent Learning

A thesis is required.

Application Requirements

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.

Applicants to the MFA program normally must hold an earned BFA degree in Visual Art from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants who hold an earned BA, BS, or other baccalaureate degree in Visual Art or a related discipline from an accredited university may also apply.

One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.

A letter of research intent that is at least a page describing the applicant’s creative background, proposed research interests, and the relationship between this program and the applicant’s future goals. Research in the context of the MFA program primarily means the full-time creation of an original body of art work over the course of three years of residence.

Two letters of recommendation preferably from former visual art professors.

A computer-based score of 230 (or 89 internet-based score) on the Test of English as a Foreign language (TOEFL) if an applicant is from a country where English is not the official language, or if an applicant’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, or if an applicant did not earn a degree in a country where English is the only official language or a university where English is the only official language of instruction. Although we prefer the TOEFL, we will accept IELTS scores of 7.0.

The total portfolio file size must no larger than 2.5 MB. If you are submitting a video file that is larger than 2.5 MB please upload the video to YouTube or Vimeo and provide the link in this section of the application. View YouTube uploading instructions here: http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=57924. When uploading the video, please title the submission with your full name, and select “unlisted” as your Privacy choice.

Please upload a document with the link to your portfolio to the application. The link can be from You Tube, Vimeo, DropBox, Google Drive, etc. You may also upload your PDF portfolio directly to the application or submit it via email to svadadvising@ucf.edu.

Meeting minimum UCF admission criteria does not guarantee admission to the MFA program. Final admission is based on evaluation of the applicant’s abilities, past performance, recommendations, match of this program and faculty expertise to the applicant’s career/academic goals, the applicant’s potential for completing the degree, and the current applicant pool. A strong emphasis is placed on the review of the portfolio of original creative work and the letter of research intent.

Application Deadlines

Studio Art and the Computer

*Fall Priority

Fall

Spring

Summer

Domestic Applicants

Jan 15

Jul 1

International Applicants

Jan 15

Jan 15

*Applicants who plan to enroll full time in a degree program and who wish to be considered for university fellowships or assistantships should apply by the Fall Priority date.

Financials

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource

Fellowships

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student’s graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.